Olympic gold medalist Tamyra Mensah-Stock‘s dominant, bounce-back world title and 18-year-old Amit Elor becoming the youngest American gold medalist in history capped arguably the best world wrestling championships ever for U.S. women.
Mensah-Stock, who in Tokyo became the second U.S. woman to win an Olympic wrestling title, routed her four 68kg opponents 36-0 over the last two days in Belgrade. Every match ended early via pin or mercy rule (a 10-point lead). She pinned Japan’s Ami Ishii at the 2-minute, 11-second mark of a six-minute regulation final.
Overall, U.S. women earned seven medals among the 10 weight classes this week, including three golds and two silvers. They tied the program record for medals at a single worlds. In 2003, the U.S. women won a medal in all seven classes, with one gold. In 2021, the U.S. women won seven medals, with two golds and two silvers.
Mensah-Stock, 29, took bronze at last year’s worlds, held two months after the Olympics. She was pinned 21 seconds into her semifinal by Japan’s Rin Miyaji, then cried “five hours straight” before winning her bronze-medal match. Mensah-Stock said that a week and a half before those worlds in Oslo, she had COVID, a back injury and could barely stand.
“I kind of have PTSD from last year,” she said after Wednesday’s semifinals in Belgrade, later noting that she took eight months off after last October’s worlds and willed herself away from thoughts of quitting. “I know that I’m better than just a bronze medal.”
Elor won the non-Olympic 72kg division. defeating Kazakhstan’s Zhamila Bakbergenova 10-0 in the final. She broke 2016 Olympic champion Kyle Snyder‘s record as the youngest American in history to win an Olympic or world title.
Elor, born Jan. 1, 2004,
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